Drinking Holes at Shanghai World Expo 2010

Long lines and big crowds of the gazillion (primarily Chinese) visitors to the World Expo in Shanghai makes the event an exhausting ordeal. What better to alleviate the pain and anticipated summer heat than drowning away stresses at one of the drinking holes on the Expo site?


The Belgian Pavilion featured a take away beer bar. For 30RMB you can get a pint of draft Hoegarten, 15 RMB for a small bottle of Martens, or 25RMB for a pint of draft Stella Atrois. They also offered soda at 10RMB. But where were the other Belgian beers like Leffe and Chimay?

Around the corner is the Porterhouse, set to server Irish beers crafted exclusively for the Shanghai World Expo. Being slightly hungover, a lovely beer and an Irish breakfast was in order. However, they were waiting for the taps to come from Ireland and none of the beers offered were actually Irish brews. The Irish breakfast was not even on the menu! Since the Expo is not actually set to open for another week, they must have time to get their act together?

After these promising finds, our little group was eager to seek out shots of Polish bison grass wodka, Russian vodka, Greek sambuca, Korean soju, Chinese Tsing Tao, German pils, American bourbon whiskey, and Swedish vodka, among the several possible choices each country's pavilion could offer to display their alcohol fare. Oh...but wait...most of the pavilions are either not ready or even open. Someone better put together an alcohol map of the Expo site since most places do not even distribute alcohol. The lines, heat, and stress are best alleviated with a non-soda beverage.

This is Shanghai, so of course there will be a soft opening for any event. There is a soft opening for every single bar, restaurant, club, lounge, store, you name it. The World Expo is no exception.

Dining Secretary Tasting at Mao Jia

Frenzied Palate must be moving up somewhere from a recent invitation to a tasting in Shanghai organized by Dining Secretary, a online table reservation service in Shanghai. Shau-Ru Lin, who writes the blog associated with Dining Secretary, From Dumplings to Donuts, hosted the tasting. These tastings, at least from the purpose presented, are meant to bring exposure to Dining Secretary and for the benefit of its registered members. It was not clear how the restaurant for the tastings are selected and if it will follow a particular schedule. The idea is good for its members and to attract more members. Free lunch once a month! And drinks! Awesome.

The tasting took place at Mao Jia, which is north of People's Square and specializing in Shanghainese cuisine. After the introduction of the tasting, the meal began and conversation took its own course. As there were about 12 in attendance, there was an assortment of cold and hot dishes. There was even a menu printed out in English to let everyone know which dishes were being tasted. The food was good for Chinese food, but nothing spectacular or anything that would motivate you to go back. The experience was only enhanced by the ambiance and attentive service.


Overall, the tasting was lovely. Different people from different backgrounds came to meet and share a meal. It was a lunch for strangers who left with new connections. Looking forward to the next one.

Mao Jia. 98 Liuhe Road (by Ningbo Road), 3/4F, Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Ben Jia

It is a daunting challenge to find a decent Korean restaurant in Shanghai that matches the level of service and free-flow kimchi of the restaurants in South Korea. This requires travel outside of central Shanghai to Ben Jia to the place where the Korean communities have settled. The ambition to consume authentic Korean food had driven us this far.

Arriving for a later lunch, the restaurant is still full and the server asks we wait a moment. This is promising. A full house means good food and a hungry stomach getting very excited.

As there were only two people, we did not have the chance to order everything off the menu for different tastes. We got the standard pork for barbecuing and spicy tofu soup with egg in a hot stone pot. I was not sure what to expect because I had become accustomed to the meager portions of sides that come with a Korean meal in Shanghai. I was proved wrong when they brought out the large platter of leafy greens, salad, cold soup, kimchi, sauces, and other delicious vegetable accompaniments. The vegetables were incredibly fresh and crispy. This meant that we would not have to constantly bother the server for more lettuce or kimchi. Excellent.


Before the meat came out, the spicy tofu soup was served. It was actually relatively spicy for Shanghai standards (Shanghainese have a lower tolerance for any sort of spicy factor, especially compared to the Sichuan food in Shanghai and Sichuan food in Sichuan province). The soup was lovely, though a little oily, and stayed hot throughout the meal.


Unlike Korea, the server in Shanghai insisted on helping us grill our meat instead of allowing us to go at our own pace and grill the meat ourselves. The pork was also served pre-cut and we did not get the massive kitchen shears to cut the meat up ourselves to desired size. Oh well. This is China, not Korea. The pork was still grilled nicely and went well with the extremely fresh selection of greens we could wrap them in.


This was a really nice meal and probably the closest thing I have experienced for an "authentic" Korean meal. It also turns out the restaurant is a short walk to the metro station, making this place more accessible from central Shanghai.

Ben Jia. 1339 Wuzhong Lu (near Jinhui Nan Lu) 吴中路1339号 (近金汇南路). Metro line 9 Hechuan Road. Shanghai, China.

No Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

A major issue with baking in China is that having an oven is a luxury. Only Western-style decorated apartments have ovens. Chinese use open flames and steamers instead of an oven. It seems like "caramelized" - a flavor achieved from high temperatures or broiling - is not characteristic of Chinese cuisine, a flavor maybe found in barbecue street skewers.

As it goes, eventually a potluck in Shanghai gets organized and somehow something has to be made. Buying something from the store is not an option. Baking something is not an option considering 1) a current lack of an oven at my disposal, 2) a lack of proper baking tools, and 3) funds. The easiest, cheapest thing to concoct must be found.

After a quick internet search, I decided to make something involving chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal (for the "health benefit"). I came across a few recipes and decided to sample the ones requiring the least ingredients (ie expending the least amount of funds). Butter is easy to find, but vanilla extract is extraordinarily expensive and only found in stores carrying Western goods. These no bake bars mean that I do not have to bake them in an oven. I just need a microwave - referred to as an oven on poorly informed real estate agency sites - and a form.

The recipe is really easy to follow and execute. The only part where a mistake can be made is heating the chocolate in the microwave for too long or an extended period causing it to burn and transfigure into this gloppy mess. The flavor is reminiscent of American baking and the chocolate peanut butter mixture hints toward a melted peanut butter cup. It is more sweet and a tad salty, lacking that fine bitter chocolate taste of a quality chocolate dessert containing little dairy and higher cacao content.

No Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Oatmeal Bars (adapted)
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup dark chocolate chips / chunks
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

Melt butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, and oats. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Press half of mixture in to the bottom of a buttered 8 x 8 dish.


In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate and peanut butter, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and blended. Pour the chocolate peanut butter mixture over the crust, reserving a couple of spoonfuls to drizzle over the top.


Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the chocolate and peanut butter, pressing gently to form a crust. Drizzle the remaining chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars.

Refrigerate for 3 hours before cutting and serving.

La Creperie

After the ravings I heard from a friend, a trip to La Creperie was in order for a Sunday brunch. The owner is very French. And the people working there are also very French (at least the French ones). This I am told by my French dining partner. That is a good sign of some authenticity.

The crepes were nice. Not too thick, but could be a little thinner. Perhaps I ordered "the wrong one" or one of the misses on the menu. The salad with walnuts and goat cheese was meager, though there was more goat cheese embedded in the crepe. The mushroom, bacon, and cream crepe sitting across from me looked way more attractive. Looking around, it did appear that the crepe menu was either a hit or miss. We did not opt for the brunch deal instead paying 78RMB and 72RMB for our respective crepes. My French dining partner did not make any indication if this creperie was complete crap or really good, giving a somewhat average impression of the place. Or this could be the French attitude.

Leaving somewhat satisfied from the light meal, the price matching the value is still debatable. More should be sampled from the menu to give these crepes a better judgment.

La Creperie. Taojiang Lu,near Fenyang Lu.桃江路1号, 近汾阳路 Shanghai, China

Pho Season

Tis the season of pho. It is cold and rainy, suitable to encourage that winter cold to worsen. Another restaurants hits the poorly pho saturated market of Shanghai by the creators of Nova on the DVD street of Dagu Lu. As we sat down, the owner asked if we had been to Nova before (sorry, no). The decor has that nouveau Asian feel with bright green walls and wooden furniture. The upper part of the split-level restaurant has shelves lined with bags of noodles and cans of coconut juice or other exotic fruit.

There is no set menu or special on the opening night of Pho Season. Diners reading about its opening on Smart Shanghai arrive in a steady stream hoping for something remotely authentic including a couple other photographers for the first reviews. Fresh spring rolls with pork and shrimp are 32RMB for two and a standard bowl of pho is 48RMB. There are no variations on their one version of pho.


The spring rolls are actually really nice, tasting fresh and prettily wrapped to feature the three shrimp lined up along the roll. It is kind of disappointing there are only two rolls for how much we were paying for an appetizer. It is part of the experience.


Now for the actual pho. It was presented with two sauces and a small bowl containing half a lime wedge, shoots, basil, and mint (no chilis). The size of the accompaniments is somewhat larger than what is given at other pho establishments. The broth was a little dark and if you look closely at the broth on your spoon, you could see a couple little bits of meat that would theoretically come off bones steeping for hours for broth. The broth tasted somewhat meaty, but more salty than it should. As we think back to the cheap bowls in Saigon, in comparison the broth tastes less fresh and more salted. ::sigh:: However, this is a better bet than the other bowls of pho sampled in Shanghai. The meat was alright, a little tough. There were no meat balls or tendons.

This is still the opening. Whether or not Pho Season will improve or worsen with time is another question...Just like with the other establishments in Shanghai.

Pho Season. 427 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu (大沽路427号, 近石门一路). Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Longitutde Lounge

Different from its sister restaurant downstairs, Latitude Bistro, Longitude Lounge aims to be a swanky bar in the heart of the French Concession. The upstairs reveals a cozy, dark sitting area and an outdoor terrace better enjoyed during the hot Shanghai summer nights than the rainy March showers.

When we arrived after dinner to an empty space, the server welcomed us to a martini happy hour. Martinis average at 55RMB and the deal was 2-for-1. This is an excellent deal for martinis in a city that can be as expensive as any large Western city. The martinis we had did not taste strong, but were strong enough. Plus, they actually tasted like what was on the menu. The Toffee Apple Martini actually did taste like a toffee apple with a bit of cinnamon. The lychee martini was light and not too sweet. Considering this lounge was empty for the most part, it makes for an excellent venue for uninterrupted conversation and relatively cheap martinis.


Longitude Lounge. 1 Yueyang Lu (by Dongping Lu), 2nd Floor, Shanghai, China

Le Petit Bistro - Nha Trang

A hard overnight coach from Saigon to Nha Trang combined with checking into an overpriced hotel room during the high season of Tet called for a breakfast splurge. After walking around the coastal streets looking for at least a street vendor for breakfast (none of which were in sight because it was the night before Tet began), I stumbled upon Le Petit Bistro. Food is cheap in Vietnam, even non-Vietnamese food. Why not?

Out of the bare menu, the eggs benedict looked like the most bang for the dong considering an omelette and baguette were not worth that much or a sad looking pastry with preserves. To accompany the meal, fresh mango juice was ordered.

Eggs benedict were fair. Baguette cut in half with a thick slice of ham and a helping of hollandaise sauce on top. Orange juice and more hollandaise sauce were served on the side in shot glasses. The hollandaise sauce was slightly citrusy. The best part was the mango juice, which was literally mangoes put through a juicer with bits of mango fibers in the juice. If only it was also made cold before serving.

Circumstances given, the breakfast was decent, especially for Western fare. Bear the heat and keep walking to taste Vietnam.

Le Petit Bistro. #26D D Tran Quang Khai, Nha Trang, Vietnam

Pho In Vietnam

Let us breathe out a sigh of relief as we are once again reminded what real pho tastes like. It is heavenly. Light, but flavorful. Fresh. Comforting. And cheap. Real cheap. That 48RMB pho is a fortune compared to the 20,000VND paid to a street vendor in Saigon.

Oh and that pot of stock was full of lovely bones. And the bits of meat and marrow that that came off the bones are floating delicately in the broth. Whilst sitting on one of those little plastic squat chairs, the woman was scooping out the bones from her giant stock pot. There were a lot of bones. Ladle after ladle came out all these bones. Which sort of bones these are is a mystery.

The rice sticks are already softened and set aside in a bowl, which portions are pulled from and put in a sieve and dipped into the broth. The same treatment is given to the meat. Chopped spring onions and parsley are sprinkled on top. With the bowl of pho, you are given a giant basket of basil, lemon grass, bean sprouts, a saucer of chilis, and a saucer of quartered limes (this is not as available in Hanoi as in Saigon). In Hanoi, sometimes sticks of fried dough are offered to accompany the pho. The differences between pho in the north and the south are yet to be further distinguished.

Definitely beats anything in Shanghai. Ruining the memory of amazing pho by continuing to attempt to find a version of it in Shanghai should be avoided. Just like all the bad Mexican food.

Legend Taste

As a fan of spicy Yunnan dishes and looking for something slightly cheaper than Lost Heaven, Legend Taste seemed to fit the bill. The numerous reviews on the Shanghai websites built the hype. The actual restaurant is small and cozy, but there is a random large flat-screen television hovering in the back. It looks suitable for either impromptu KTV or sports viewing.


I am not sure if it what was ordered, but the dishes were not so exciting. It was a mixed bag of tricks. The morning glory was removed from the menu. Sadness! The fried egg with vegetables was very salty. The Haini fish was just fried lumps, but the actual flesh was light and not too dry. Aubergines were a good choice, but still very oily. The beef was good and spicy. The beer that accompanied the meal was probably equally exciting and cheap at 15-20RMB.

I feel let down. Another visit to this place is necessary to explore more dishes and the delight from the reviews that tempted the visit in the first place.
Legend Taste. 1025 Kanding Lu. Shanghai, China